Automatic electric-current-controlling means



March 3, 1931. p, v, MccAsH 1,794,721

AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC CURRENT CONTROLLING MEANS Filed April 3, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l 4 0 W55 1 II 3} 3am I 34 as as INVENTOR FIE. 1. PERRY V. McCAsH.

March 3, 1931. p, v, McCASl-l 1,794,721

AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC CURRENT CONTROLLING MEANS Filed April 3 192 2 Sheets-Shea? 2 45 as a? h INVENTOR PERRY V. m mw Patented Mar. 3, 1931 v OFFICE PERRY V. MCCASH, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON AUTOMATIC ELEGTRIC-CURRENT-CONTROLLING MEANS Application filed April 3, 1926. Serial No. 99,602.

This invention relates generically to means panel upon which the parts of my constructor intermittently turning on and turning tion are mounted, while numerals 2 and 3 de off electric lights, such as are used in electric note a pair of electromagnets carried by the signs, street signals and-atrailr'oad crossings; panel and having their terminals connected 5 Stated broadly, the invention comprises a respectively t the terminals 2a,2b, 3a and 5;. plurality of load circuit switches, a control 35. Theseelectromagnets are provided with circuit'swit'ch a plurality of electromagn'ets cores & and 5, said cores being preferably of for controlling the opening'a'nd closing of the laminated magnetic material; switches,andretarding means for retarding A plurality of switch levers 6, 7 6a and 7a and delz'iying the action of the control-circuit are pivoted upon insulating posts 8 and 9 or 60 switch are insulated from these posts if they are Among the objects of this invention are to not made of insulating material. These le provide'a'nimproved mode of'controlling the vers 6, 6a and-7, 7aare connected in pairs flow of current to a plurality of load circuits; by the cross-bars 10 and 11 and'each carries "to provide an improved structure for controladj acent its extremity a'contact 12, intermit- G5 ling the intermittent flow of electric current; te'ntly engageable with cooperating contacts to provide a-structurein-which the control- 13, these contacts being designated specifling electromagnets pull controlling armaically by the numerals 12a, 12?), 120, 12d,

tures, substantially simultaneously; toward 13a, 13b, 13c and 13d. It will be seen 29 opposite ends thereof to control the funcby referring to Fig; 2 that the two for- 79 tioning of the circuit; toprovide a mechaward contacts 13 are carried by L-shaped nism which will operate substantially uni-' conducting bars 14 and 15 which are integral formly, notwithstanding variations inthe with or secured to members 16 and 17 wherecurrent strength of city lighting'systems at by they are mounted upon the panel 1. Also,

3 different times of the day; and such further the rearward contacts 13 are mounted in horiobjects, advantages and capabilities as will zontal extensions from the mounting pieces hereafter more fully appear andas are in- 18and 19, shown most clearly in Fig. 1. A herentin the construction disclosed. pair of connecting posts 20 and 21 are mount- My invention furtherresides in the comed upon the panel 1 and have flexible conbination, construction and arrangement of ductors 22, 28', 24 and leading therefrom parts illust'rated'in the accompanying drawto the lovers 6a 7a, 6 and 7, respectively.

ings and, while I have shown therein one From-this it will be apparent that the conembodiment of my invention, I desire the ductors 22 and 23 go to the rearward pair of same tobeunderstood' as illustrative only Contact levers, while the conductors 24 and and not a's'limitin'g said invention 25 go to the forward levers. From the cross- In the drawingsatt'ach'edhereto andio-rn'ibars 10 and 11, which are insulated from the ing a part hereof, Fig; 1' is" an eleva'tion of a contact levers, there extend upwardly paracontrolling switch in accordance with my magnetic means 26serving as armatures for invention; Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view the cores of the electromagnets. These 40 showing the wiring'diagram ofthis new conmeans 26 pass through openings in the angutrolling switch. Fig. 3 is a top plan viewof lar dia'magn'etic members27 and'are capable the device showing the relation of'the walkof reciprocating therein toward and away in'g; beam, dash-pots and a' circuit breaker from cores of the coils.

4 controlled by the-'w'alkingbeam'; and Fig. 4 Above the ele'ct'romagnet 1s a walking is a'longitudinal section through an'end of beam 28 pivoted upon a post-29 and having one of the armatures for one of the electro-' an" arm 30 extending upwardly therefrom. magnetic coils, showing'the connection of'one The extremities 31 of this walking be'am are arm of the Walking beanrtherewith. reduced andpass through suitable apertures Referring more in'det'ailto the annexed 32 in the'armatures 33" (which, it will be undrawings, numeral 1 desi'gnate'sthe base or (lei-stood,- are paramagnetic) of the electrowe provided for regulating the rate at which air.

may escape from the dashpots, thus making it possible to adjust the speed of operation of this device. Suitable insulating means 36 at the upper end of arm insulate this walking beam from the switch member 37, as will be readily understood. The supporting means 38 and the contact 39 are carried by a bracket 40 which also carries a spring contact member 41, which latter is in electrical contact with the contact member A lead 42 extends from the contact member 39 to the connecting. post 43 which is connected electrically with the connector 44 for the neutral load wire of a three wire system. The functions of thefconnectors 45, 46, 44a, 45a, 46a, 47, 48, and 49 will be presently described.

Referring now to Fig. 2, numeral 50 designates a source of current from which lead the conductors 51, 52 and 53. These conductors are connected respectively to the connectors 47, 48 and49 for furnishing the current to be controlled, said current passing through my new control switch described above; After, passing through this control switch, the current isdistributed to the load a wires 54, 55, 56, 54a, 55a and 56a as will be readily understood, -these loadconductors being connected respectively to the connectors 45, 44, 46, 45a,.44a and'46a.

Assuming the switch contacts 37 and 39 to se in engagement and that all of the switches 6, 7, 6a, 7a are closed, when thecurrent is turned on, it will take the following'course:

From source 50 through wires 51, 52 and 53 to the connectors 47, 48 and 49. Since the current flowing through switches 6, 6a and 7 does not enter into thecontrol o't thecircuit but is merely fed through those switches to the contacts to which the load circuit is connected, the circuit through these three switches will, for the present, be disregarded.

' The current flowing through connector 49 passes through conductor 60 to post 20 and from thence through conductor 23, swltch lever 7 a, contacts 12d, 13d and bracket 19,

where it divides, part flowing through conductor 61 to connector 46a, from which it is fed to the load circuit, and part passing conductor 63 connector 48 and conductor 52 to the source 50. While, under the circumstances indicated, the circuit is now closed through connector 44 and load conductors 54, 55 and 56 as well as through contacts 37 and 3.9, and both coils 2 and 3, the circuit will not remain closed indicated when the current is turned on, for the following reason Since the current which flows through switch 7a, conductor 62 and coil 2 is under control of electromagnet 3, the flow of this current through the indicated switch and the coil 2 will cease immediately upon the circuit being closed, because current flows from connector 49 through conductor 65, connector 3?), coil 3, connector 3a, switch contacts 37, 39 and return conductor 63. The flow of current through this circuit is not immediately interrupted, since the same is not under the influence of an immediately responsive electromagnetic switch. The current will thereuntil the attraction thereof for the armature 33 has caused this and the piston carried thereby to move downwardly far enough to cause separation of the contacts 37 and 39 by the rocking of the walking beam 28. As soon as these contacts are separated, current ceases to flow through coil 3 and contact levers 7 and 7 a drop so that the circuits through contacts 120, 130, 12d and 1303 are closed and current flows to connectors 45a, and 46a and from there to the load circuit. Also, current now flows through switch 12d, 13d, conductor 62 and coil 2. This results in the switch levers 6 and 6a being pulled toward the electromagnet 2 and the circuits to connectors 45 and 46 being broken. Current will now flow through the circuits as follows v From 49 through 60,20, 23, 7a, 12d, 13d, 19, 61, 46a, load, 44a, 44, 63 and 52. Current also flows from 19 through 62, 2b, 2 and 2a,

returning through 63 and 52 as above. Cur rent also flows through 51, 47, 21, 25, 7, 12c, 13c, 15, 67, 45a, load, 44a, 44, 63 and 52. As soon as the current starts to flow through coil 2, it causes the pulling of armature 26, attached to switch levers 6 and 6a, toward the electromagnet and also the pulling of armature 33 toward the core 4. The piston in cylinder 34 will retard the action of this bar and the closing of the switch contacts 37and 39, but as soon as these contacts are closed, coil 3 is again energized with the result that the circuit through 12d and 13d is again broken and coil 2 tie-energized. This causes the armature 33 to again swing downwardly on the right toward electromagnet 3 as indicated above, thus resulting in a repetitionof The speed at the action outlined above. which these changes are made canbe varied by proper adjustment of the adjusting means 35, as set forth above. It is thought that.

further explanation of how the currentflows through the electromagnetic switches and the conductors 61, 67, 68 and 69 to the terminals 45, 46, 45a and 46a will now beunnecessary.

It is believed it will now be apparent from the present disclosure that the structure herein set forth is. adapted to accomplish the various objects recited. i i

Having now disclosed my invention. I claim 1. In a light circuit controlling device, a lever having a plurality of arms, said lever 5 being pivoted substantially centrally, dashpots arranged on opposite sides of the pivot of the lever and substantially symmetrically with relation to the pivot and arms of the lever, pistons in the dash-pots, means connecting the pistons and the adjacent arms of the lever, electromagnet coils external to the dash-pots, each having an end adjacent said connecting means and serving to attract the same toward the coils when the coils are energized, and switches at the opposite ends of the coils, said switches being magnetically attracted toward the coils axially substantially simultaneously with said connecting means. go 2. A structure as defined by claim 1 having a switch connected to the lever to be opened and closed thereby upon oscillation thereof.

3. A structure as defined by claim 1 having a switch connected to the lever to be opened and closed thereby upon oscillation thereof, said switch controlling the circuit through one of the electro-magnets.

4. In a light circuit controlling device, a lever having a plurality of arms, said lever being pivoted substantially centrally, guiding means arranged substantially symmetrically with relation to the pivot and arms of the lever, paramagnetic means slidable in the guiding means, means connecting the paramagnetic means and the adjacent arms of the lever, electro-magnetic coils external to the guiding means and capable, when energized, of attracting the paramagnetic means, and switches at the ends of the coils opposite the paramagnetic means, said switches be ing magnetically attracted toward the coils axially thereof substantially simultaneously with the paramagnetic means. A: In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name to this specification.

PERRY V. MCCASH. 

